Nov 14, 2016 - When we get to Cork airport we get trolleys and load all luggage, bring it into the airport and put it in
Parents of Third Year and Transition Year students.
November 14th 2016.
Dear Parent, Each year students from one of the second-level schools in Mitchelstown travel to Lourdes with the Carmelite pilgrimage, and 2017 is the turn of the CBS Secondary. The trip will take place from September 27th to October 2nd 2017. Twelve students may travel from the school and they will be accompanied by two staff members. The school is offering this opportunity to current 3rd year and Transition Year students as they will be in 5th Year/Transition Year in 2017. Details on costs are included in the attached information letter. Students travelling on the pilgrimage will be assisting the Carmelites (“blue ties”) in helping elderly or invalided pilgrims, and will have roles in organising and participating in services. In the event of more than 12 students applying the applications will be considered by a selection panel. This is a great opportunity for the boys, but we understand that it is an expensive undertaking. If you feel that your son can avail of this opportunity please fill in the attached reply slip and return it to me on or before Wednesday December 14th. In the event of your son getting a place, you will be asked to sign a consent form and return a €50 non-refundable deposit in January. Please feel free to contact us here in the school if you have any queries.
Yours sincerely,
_______________________ Mary Hannon, Principal.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
. CARMELITE LOURDES PILGRIMAGE STUDENT I wish to be considered for one of the student places on the Carmelite Lourdes pilgrimage 2017. Signed: ________________________________________
Date: _____________________
PARENT I support my son’s application for a place as a student helper on the Carmelite Lourdes pilgrimage 2017. Signed: ________________________________________
Date: ______________________
To be returned to Ms. Hannon on or before Wednesday December 14th 2016.
MITCHELSTOWN CARMELITE GROUP C.B.S YOUTH 2017
If you wish to travel to Lourdes please remember you are representing your school, your town and the Mitchelstown Carmelite Lourdes Group. BREAKDOWN OF COST Total cost of trip. Student pays + student sells 100 Books of tickets
€735.00 €420.00 €500.00
1. The dates for travel will be Wednesday 27th September to Monday 2nd October 2017. 2. The total cost of the trip is €735.00. Each student pays €420.00. You will be given 100 books of tickets. Selling your 100 books of tickets will bring in €500.00. Each student gets €315.00 off the fare, the other €165.00 of this goes towards bringing the sick pilgrims. 3. Spending money we recommend a minimum of €25.00 per-day for water ice-creams etc, all food is included breakfast, lunch and evening meals. 4. If you are one of the lucky students selected to travel to Lourdes you will be required to sign a consent form and pay a non-refundable deposit of €50.00 5. The uniform of a youth helper is black pants, white shirt, black shoes black vans etc are acceptable (no white stripes or markings on the shoes/runners) we will give you the blue tie and neckerchief as required. You will also be given a Carmelite hoody close to the date of travel. 6. You will be required to take part in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. 7. You will have a big part to play in the Colour Run started by the Presentation Convent in 2015 followed by St Fanahan’s last year. Duties will be helping with promotion of the colour run through your Facebook page. On the day of the Colour Run you will help in decorating the town with balloons and you will be put at one of the colour stations to throw the paint on the participants. If you wish you can take tickets to sell prior to the Colour Run -this is totally OPTIONAL - if family members want to buy these to save them queuing on the night to pay. 8. The Mitchelstown Carmelite group plays a big part in the Corpus Christi Procession. You will be asked to take part in this special day. 9. In September we hold our annual mass before we travel to Lourdes in the parish church and again we will ask you to take part in this. 10. We expect that everyone travelling will take part in all of the above events. Absence from these events should only be for genuine reasons.
If you travel to Lourdes we can promise you it’s an experience that you will remember forever.
SOME OF THE DUTIES TO BE CARRIED OUT
There will be senior blue-ties with you to help with all the following. Don’t be afraid to ask any of us questions if you are not clear on anything below. On the day we leave for Lourdes we all meet in the Firgrove. All the pilgrims’ bags are tagged with a Mitchelstown Carmelite tag and we load them on to the bus. All youth will travel ahead of the big bus. When we get to Cork airport we get trolleys and load all luggage, bring it into the airport and put it in rows. Each pilgrim collects their bag and proceeds to check in. When we arrive in Lourdes airport again we get trolleys and collect all the bags from the carousel with the Mitchelstown Carmelite tag. All luggage is loaded on to the bus. When we arrive at our hotel we unload the entire luggage, put it in rows and each person takes their bag and checks in. Some might need assistance bringing their bags to their rooms. If we are going to a ceremony on the first day, the pilgrims who require wheel chairs will need to be pushed down to the grotto. The wheelchairs are all numbered. The wheelchair you are given will be yours for the week - this can be folded and kept in your room. You will meet youths from other groups; there will be short youth meetings daily. One of the big things for the youth is the youth mass which normally takes place on the last night. This mass is totally run by the youth. You will get a chance to read at the mass, become a Eucharistic minister and all youth take part in the choir. This mass is very special. Please remember that for the pilgrims you will be assisting in Lourdes this might be their only holiday, and some of these people live on their own. So please make a big effort to make conversation with them.
Prepared by Mitchelstown Carmelite Group Secretary, Nov. 2016.
